Why is My Dishwasher Leaking?

Entering the kitchen to find an ominous puddle on the floor is no-one’s favorite manner to start the day.

Luckily, most common sources of dishwasher leaks are comparably simple to pinpoint and fix by yourself. Meaning you might not need to hand wash the dishes for more than a day or two, stay at home waiting for an repair person or have to pay a high call-out fee.

So, if you’re feeling up to it grab the manual if you have it, clean up the puddle and get a towel clean up any additional spills and see whether you can’t fix the problem. If you can’t call us for local dishwasher repair.

Common Explanations of Dishwasher Faults as well as How to Resolve Them

Many of the most commonly seen sources of dishwasher leaks are not actually because of a dishwasher issue at all. Before you start preparing yourself for an engineering task as well as flicking through numerous online tutorials there are a couple of issues you can rule out first.

Check to see whether your dishwasher is level. If the dishwasher is wonky water will quickly pool and so spill out even if the dishwasher is working perfectly.
Investigate you have been using the right detergent. You might be aware of this fault with your washing machine. An excess of soap or the incorrect variety could result in an excess of bubbles, the soap suds bubble over and so you get a leak.
Check your dishwasher door closes properly. If there’s a gap there may be a blockage, or you may have to fix the hinge or the locking mechanism.
Test the filter located in the bottom of the tub for any visible drainage issues because if your dishwasher isn’t emptying correctly this can cause it to overfill and so spill.

If you have ruled out these possible causes it’s time to roll up your sleeves and really start the inspection.

The easiest place to start is the door as well as test for any visible damage inside of the machine prior to moving on to the underneath. If you can find and resolve the problem before you have to pull out the dishwasher so much the better.

Before you do anything else make sure you unplug the dishwasher.

Door Seal

The door is probably the most common area for leakage as well as one of the quickest issues to fix.

If the leakage is intermittent the issue might be as straightforward as a big pan or something else putting pressure against the door and preventing it from shutting correctly.

Otherwise the door gasket could have come out of place or become damaged.

Examine the door gasket and also check for any degradation, a build-up of limescale or other deposits, or any parts in which the seal might have separated from the door.

Extracting the seal and also giving it a thorough clean could improve the situation in some cases or you could have to buy a new seal and replace it.

Water Inlet Valve (Solenoid Fill Valve)

The water inlet valve can also be a commonly seen issue. The inlet is usually located underneath the machine so you will need to take off the toe board and also might need to unscrew the door cover.

The fill valve opens and closes to allow water into the dishwasher at varying times in the cycle. The inlet valve could be showing a leak, evidenced by a slow drip, or it might be damaged and not opening or closing correctly while the dishwasher is running.

When the inlet valve doesn’t close fully this can mean that the dishwasher overfills, causing a leak.

Often water inlet valve are not able to be fixed, and so the entire component would need to be changed.

Leaking Hoses

Hoses are needed to supply, drain and redistribute water within the cycle.

Two problems may develop where hoses are involved.

The gaskets might break or the contact points may work loose so it’s worth examining all the connection points first.
The other fault than could easily happen as time goes by is that hoses could get damaged or get a hole in.

If you can determine that the leakage is coming from a hose this should be easy to change and replacement hoses are easy to come by.

Pumps and Seals

You are able to visually check the rubber seals that are part of the pumps or motor to ascertain whether there is a leakage and also change them if that’s the case.

The Float Switch

The float itself or the float switch may be not working correctly causing the dishwasher to overfill.

When operating correctly the float will rise as the water level goes up until it reaches the highest fill level. The end piece of the float would then operate the switch. If something is blocking this or the float is broken this could be your issues.

Testing the switch would need a multi-meter but it may be clearly damaged in which case getting a new one should stop the leak.

Alternative Parts that Might Cause a Leak

A broken wash arm or support might causing leakage. This will likewise often affect how well your dishes are being cleaned.

Broken or cracked tubes can also result in this fault as may a loose pump cap.

The motor shaft gasket could have come loose resulting in leakage. This generally presents as a leak coming from underneath the appliance.

Top Tips to Sort Out Your Dishwasher

Spend less by checking the seal instead of the entire component. In many instances, you can purchase the seal without the rest of the part which saves time as well as money.
Investigate the simple solutions first. There’s no point pulling the entire thing away from the wall if it’s the detergent that’s making the issue.
Photograph your progress. This may make your life easier when you come to reverse the process, explain the component you are looking for in a store, and also explain the problem to an engineer if required.
Be careful. Water and electricity do not mix so unplug the machine first.
If you’re not sure get in a professional.

The Next Steps You Should Take If Your Initial Investigation Fails to Disclose or Fix the Leakage

If the root of the leakage can’t be uncovered the thing you can do is to pull out the dishwasher to get better access beneath it and also add water to the tub to see if the leakage can be seen that way.

If you don’t find any leaks with this method your dishwasher may only show a leakage if it’s running. In this instance, you should hire a appliance repair person to determine and fix the problem as there are safety risks of checking for faults with electrical components uncovered.

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